Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Bankruptcy
-
April 23, 2024
NY Panel Partially Revives Chubb, Archdiocese Abuse Row
A New York state appeals court partially revived Chubb's coverage dispute stemming from sexual abuse claims brought against the Archdiocese of New York, finding Tuesday that a trial court incorrectly based its dismissal on underlying allegations rather than the present action.
-
April 23, 2024
Downtown Chicago Hotel Hits Ch. 11 With Up To $50M In Debt
A defunct hotel near Chicago's commercial center has applied for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware bankruptcy court, disclosing between $10 million and $50 million in debt, a few months after the city government converted the property into a shelter for unhoused people.
-
April 23, 2024
ABI Names Christopher Ward President, Elects New Directors
Christopher A. Ward of Polsinelli LLP will lead the American Bankruptcy Institute as president for a one-year term, the organization said Tuesday, and U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Bruce Harwood will succeed him next April.
-
April 23, 2024
DOJ Unveils $139M Deal For Larry Nassar Victims
The U.S. Department of Justice will pay $138.7 million to settle 139 tort claims accusing the Federal Bureau of Investigation of not doing enough to stop the sprawling, decades-long sexual abuse of hundreds of victims at the hands of USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar, according to a Tuesday announcement.
-
April 22, 2024
Alex Jones' InfoWars To Have Key Ch. 11 Plan Hearing In June
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Monday rescheduled to June 14 a key hearing on how the court should handle Alex Jones' media company Free Speech Systems LLC's Chapter 11, adding that he plans to keep the separate but interwoven bankruptcies of Jones and his company moving forward.
-
April 22, 2024
Atty Says Class Bid Over Bankrupt Firm's Hurricane Ads Fails
A proposed class action against troubled Houston law firm MMA Law Firm, a former partner and others accused of participating in an illegal scheme to scare up profitable litigation following a hurricane doesn't offer enough evidence for certification and didn't meet a filing deadline, the ex-partner told a Texas federal judge.
-
April 22, 2024
Opioid Marketer Completes $1.5M Damages Settlement With Del.
Delaware's chancellor signed off Monday on a $1.5 million payment to the state by a company that helped Purdue Pharmaceuticals market its opioid products, the latest step in a $358 million, 50-state damages settlement reached with Publicis Health LLC.
-
April 22, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Last week, Delaware's Chancery Court news included a Tesla announcement about moving to Texas, a midcase appeal of Tripadvisor's move to Nevada, and United Airlines' escape from a stockholder suit. Disputes about board entrenchment, squeeze-out mergers, co-founder fallouts and deadly ice cream moved ahead.
-
April 22, 2024
SEC Says Terraform, Founder Owe $5.3B After Fraud Verdict
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has asked a Manhattan federal judge to order bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange Terraform Labs and its founder to pay roughly $5.3 billion, weeks after a jury found them liable for a massive fraud.
-
April 22, 2024
Clothing Retailer Express Inc. Hits Ch. 11 With Sale Offer
Fashion retailer Express Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection Monday in Delaware to help tame roughly $1.2 billion in debt, saying it has an offer from a group of buyers for the majority of its assets, including its retail store locations.
-
April 19, 2024
SBF Inks Deal To Help FTX Investors Go After Promoters
Investors who launched multidistrict litigation over cryptocurrency exchange FTX's collapse asked a Florida federal judge Friday to bless their settlement with founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who has agreed to assist in their case against celebrities who promoted the platform and other defendants alleged to be part of the fraud scheme.
-
April 19, 2024
Casino SPAC Can Return Money, Not Shares, Chancery Rules
Stockholders in a blank-check company that failed to merge with a Philippines-based casino are entitled to a distribution from $37.5 million sitting in trust, but the company may not redeem any shares until an investor's Delaware lawsuit plays out, a Chancery Court vice chancellor said Friday.
-
April 19, 2024
Creditor Committee Backs Yellow In Pension Fund Fight
The official committee of unsecured creditors in Yellow Corp.'s Chapter 11 bankruptcy has largely backed an objection from the debtor to several pension plans' claims for retirement-fund withdrawal liability, while saying it hopes the issues can be resolved quickly to reduce costs.
-
April 19, 2024
NY Diocese Claims Rep Warns Of 'Disaster' If Ch. 11 Scrapped
The future claims representative for sex abuse victims in the bankruptcy case of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre told a New York judge Friday he could not "stand mute while this case barrels on toward disaster," after the organization moved to dismiss its case earlier this month.
-
April 19, 2024
Bankruptcy Bill Seeks To Aid Sex Abuse Victims
A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would help sexual abuse victims by limiting the ability of their abusers to shield themselves by filing for bankruptcy, according to the bipartisan pair backing the proposed legislation.
-
April 19, 2024
Quinn Emanuel Faces Class Action Over Fla. Fee Agreements
The wife of luxury home developer Nir Meir, who was charged with falsifying records and defrauding investors, is hoping to avoid paying more than $360,000 in attorney fees to Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP in a proposed class action, saying her husband forged her signature on a fee agreement with the firm.
-
April 19, 2024
Tex-Mex Chain Tijuana Flats' New Owner Puts It In Ch. 11
Fast-casual Tex-Mex dining chain Tijuana Flats said Friday it has changed ownership and filed for Chapter 11 protection in Florida bankruptcy court with more than $10 million in debt.
-
April 18, 2024
Giuliani Wants To Hire Longtime Friend To Help With Ch. 11
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani asked a New York bankruptcy judge to hire his friend of 50-some years and former White & Case LLP partner Kenneth Caruso as a special litigation counsel for the $148 million defamation suit he is facing from two Georgia election workers.
-
April 18, 2024
Senate Bill Would Extend Small Biz Ch. 11 Debt Cap Increase
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators are pushing new legislation that would prevent the current $7.5 million debt eligibility cap for Subchapter V bankruptcies, a simplified Chapter 11 process for small businesses and individuals, from reverting to the previous limit of $2.7 million in June.
-
April 18, 2024
4th Circ. Vacates Enviro Win In Mining Co. Permit Ruling
The special receiver for a defunct mining company can transfer mining permits for a site formerly owned by Patriot Coal Corp., the Fourth Circuit ruled, finding that a West Virginia federal judge interpreted a consent decree providing for mine shutdown and cleanup too broadly.
-
April 18, 2024
Bank Wants To Exit Suit Over $100M Of Special Needs Trusts
American Momentum Bank has for the second time asked a Florida federal judge to let it get out of a lawsuit from the parents of a disabled child claiming it abetted a predatory scheme to misappropriate more than $100 million of special needs trust assets, saying the parents failed to show what role the bank played in the alleged misdeeds.
-
April 18, 2024
J. Singer Law Group Adds New Bankruptcy Of Counsel
J. Singer Law Group PLLC has announced it hired bankruptcy attorney Ira Reid as the firm's new of counsel who will focus on its Chapter 11 bankruptcy practice.
-
April 18, 2024
Biotech Co. NanoString Lands $393M Bid At Ch. 11 Auction
Scientific instrument maker Bruker Corp. is set to acquire insolvent biotechnology company NanoString for roughly $393 million in cash that would be used to repay creditors under the debtor's recently proposed Chapter 11 plan, a notice filed in Delaware's bankruptcy court shows.
-
April 17, 2024
Ga. High Court Urged To Broaden Atty Malpractice Time Limit
Counsel for an Atlanta restaurateur urged the Supreme Court of Georgia on Wednesday to revive a malpractice claim against his former lawyer by allowing for a more expansive statute of limitations when breach of contract claims enter the mix.
-
April 17, 2024
2nd Circ. Won't Revive Investor Fight Over Honeywell Spinoff
The Second Circuit affirmed Wednesday the dismissal of a proposed securities class action accusing a bankrupt Honeywell transportation business spinoff of misleading investors about significant risks it faced under its asbestos-liability indemnity deal with Honeywell, finding that the spinoff was frank about the uncertainty of its financial future.
Expert Analysis
-
Debt Collector Compliance Takeaways From An FDCPA Appeal
A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau amicus brief last month in an ongoing First Circuit appeal focusing on an interpretation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act can serve as a reminder for debt collectors to understand how their technologies, like bankruptcy scrubs and letter logic, can prevent litigation, says Justin Bradley at Womble Bond.
-
SG's Office Is Case Study To Help Close Legal Gender Gap
As women continue to be underrepresented in the upper echelons of the legal profession, law firms could learn from the example set by the Office of the Solicitor General, where culture and workplace policies have helped foster greater gender equality, say attorneys at Ocean Tomo.
-
Crypto Issues To Watch Amid Evolving Legal Landscape
This year will likely be a momentous one for crypto in the U.S., but whether it is successful or disastrous will depend on the outcome of high-profile court decisions and key regulatory actions, say attorneys at Venable.
-
Opinion
3rd-Party Financiers Have Power To Drive Mass Tort Cases
The abnormal recovery premium presented by modern mass tort cases coupled with their deemphasized role for attorneys creates an opportunity for third-party financiers to both create and control these cases, says Samir Parikh at Lewis & Clark Law School.
-
Del. Dispatch: Clarification On Fiduciary Duties Of Controllers
The Delaware Chancery Court’s January opinion in a Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores' stockholder dispute — holding that a controlling stockholder owes the company and minority shareholders some fiduciary duties when selling shares or voting to change the status quo — suggests instances where investors opposing board decisions should tread carefully, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
-
Stay Ruling Challenges Sovereign Debt Dynamics
The Southern District of New York’s recent ruling in Hamilton Reserve Bank v. Sri Lanka, which provides sovereigns with a de facto bankruptcy stay in restructuring scenarios, may create uncertain consequences for sovereign creditors and borrowers alike, says Jeff Newton at Omni Bridgeway.
-
Reimagining Law Firm Culture To Break The Cycle Of Burnout
While attorney burnout remains a perennial issue in the legal profession, shifting post-pandemic expectations mean that law firms must adapt their office cultures to retain talent, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
-
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Selling A Bankruptcy Claim?
As companies navigate financial uncertainties and market challenges, they should understand the advantages and disadvantages of selling a bankruptcy claim, so that they can monetize it with confidence and minimize the risk that amounts received in connection with a sale will be subject to potential disgorgement, says Evelyn Meltzer at Troutman Pepper.
-
Series
Competing In Dressage Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My lifelong participation in the sport of dressage — often called ballet on horses — has proven that several skills developed through training and competition are transferable to legal work, especially the ability to harness focus, persistence and versatility when negotiating a deal, says Stephanie Coco at V&E.
-
Ch. 11 Ruling Highlights 'Two-Step' Challenges In 4th Circ.
A North Carolina bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in Bestwall’s Chapter 11 case, and the decision's interpretation of Fourth Circuit law, suggests that, compared to other circuits, it may be more difficult to dismiss so-called Texas Two-Step bankruptcy cases within the Fourth Circuit, say Brittany Falabella and Kollin Bender at Hirschler Fleischer.
-
3 Strategies For Aggressive Judgment Enforcement
As illustrated by the many creditors of Citgo Petroleum Corp. who may walk away empty-handed — despite the company's court-ordered sale — it is important to start investigating counterparty assets and planning for enforcement even before obtaining a judgment, says Brian Asher at Asher Research.
-
Chancery's Sears Ruling Clarifies Stockholder Duties
In a recent landmark decision involving stockholders of Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, the Delaware Chancery Court addressed for the first time what precise duties a controlling stockholder owes, highlighting that controller interference with board action is not per se invalid and that enhanced scrutiny is a reasonableness test, say Christopher Chuff and Taylor Bartholomew at Troutman Pepper.
-
How Biotech Cos. Can Utilize Synthetic Royalty Financing
Synthetic royalty transactions have been on the rise as a funding structure for biotechnology companies, but questions have arisen surrounding how such transactions work, and structuring them correctly requires a nuanced understanding, say Todd Trattner and Ryan Murr at Gibson Dunn.
-
The Legal Industry Needs A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift
As law firms face ever-increasing risks of cyberattacks and ransomware incidents, the legal industry must implement robust cybersecurity measures and privacy-centric practices to preserve attorney-client privilege, safeguard client trust and uphold the profession’s integrity, says Ryan Paterson at Unplugged.
-
5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money
As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.